Use ready made lessons designed to follow the Thai National Curriculum and give a focus to your teaching.
This volunteer program is especially suitable for:

Alter 18+

Alleinreisend

Pärchen

Gruppen

You don't need teaching experience, just enthusiasm

WHAT YOU WILL DO

GETTING READY

When you have settled in and acclimatised, you will start your volunteering work with a briefing on the project, the lessons and how to teach them. We work in teams and your school teaching team will make its own lessons, using our extensive library and with help and advice from us.

TEACHING ENGLISH AT SCHOOLS

When that has been done and you have a good idea of how to present the lessons to your classes, you will be ready to teach.

The schools are within easy travelling distance from our base, so we will take you in the mornings and bring you back when schools finish in the afternoons. Once you have made sure you are ready for the following day, you will be free to enjoy our beautiful resort village.

TIME OFF

Volunteers get Saturday and Sunday off. They prepare lessons on Monday, and teach Tuesday to Friday, usually leaving from the office at about 08.00 each morning and returning after school in the afternoon.

However, volunteering can vary greatly and you need to be prepared to be flexible. For example, maybe you will be put on an English Camp and need to travel to one of the islands … it’s good fun, the island kids really need you, but the days may not work out as the usual Tuesday-Friday teaching.

ENJOY IT ALL

Let the kids and the culture enter your heart, and teach with the enthusiasm of someone who knows they are making a big difference to others’ lives.

SUPPORTS THE THAI CURRICULUM

We have the curriculum for each school year and have made lessons to match the schools’ programmes. This means your input is relevant to the children’s education and brings added value to the work of the schools. We keep records of what has been taught which in turn show what should be taught next. It provides a continuous programme so your teaching matches what has already been taught, and what will be taught in the future. You will be another brick in the wall – of achievement.

PRACTICAL LESSONS

Our lessons contain A4 laminated pictures and words to match – all with Velcro tabs. This provides a visual aspect to go with the hearing and saying. Having the children run out to the board to slap the pictures next to the words provides movement. This method involves four of the senses and is a powerful learning tool, which has been recognised as “Accelerated Learning.”

LEARN & ENJOY

Traditional methods are formal and involve the children sitting, listening, repeating and writing. The volunteers’ active lessons engage the children. A teacher reported “The children enjoy the volunteers’ lessons. Now, they are hungry for English!”

SPEAK AND PRONUNCIATION

Your skill in speaking English is valuable in the classroom. Instead of the traditional method of sitting at the teacher’s desk, you can move around the classroom speaking and listening to every child. A smile and a nod at a child’s answer is an invaluable confidence booster to that child.

You will be expected to spend one day in the office learning what you will be teaching and four days teaching.We have the curricula to guide you and we have the lessons. You will not be expected to teach alone.

Many of our schools are quite a distance from our base. Teams of volunteers are taken to hotels closer to the schools. Each team takes their week's lessons in a box. The schools pick up their designated team each morning at the hotel and return them in the afternoons. At the end of the week everyone is brought back to the office to repair and return their materials. They are then free for the weekend with their bed reserved in the guesthouse. Monday - a new week and a new set of lessons.

The groundwork of curriculum planning means that each volunteer's input is an important part of a continuum.

We cannot serve all of our 20 schools all year because most volunteers choose to come in June to August (the rainy season). However we can serve a small proportion for the whole school year. This year one of these schools came first in the league table for the province. A combination of a good Thai teacher and enthusiastic volunteers made this possible. First out of 300 in the end of year English exam.

Our volunteers have made themselves a good reputation because they go into a class knowing what they are going to teach and with the materials to teach the lesson.. You can help build on this reputation

In November 2015 the project was awarded the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Green Award for Excellence. It was presented by Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana.

Tagesablauf

The classes in the schools vary in size but could be as large as 40 children. These children are respectful and keen to learn. Please note that they are children and can behave like children. In our orientation we will give you simple guidelines to show you how to manage a class without raising your voice.

You will find that the laminated pictures, flashcards and velcro boards give you real flexibility. You can hand out pictures to the children and get them to run out to the boards and slap the picture next to the word. This can be a race or a team game. For children who are used to sitting still for the whole lesson, games like this bring a change of tempo and provide a refreshing change.

An impotant part of the lesson is the worksheets which you will copy and hand out in the class. We have given every child has a card folder for his or her worksheets. Your worksheets go in the folder to join the ones from previous volunteers. At the end of the year each child has a folder full of completed work which they can take home to show their parents.

Freizeitaktivitäten

GOOD TIME OFF

You work five days a week. This gives you two days off a week … enough time for seeing islands and jungles, not to mention 30km of beaches.

GOOD LOCATION

The beautiful family resort of Khao Lak, on the Andaman coast with over 20 kilometres of tropical beaches, will be your base. There are many places to visit in this region and usually new friends to share your trips. Fabulous ‘tropical paradise’ beaches. There are waterfalls, temples and national parks in the area for a weekend away.

SIGHTSEEING

The Similan Islands are located some 50km off the Khao Lak coast. Belonging to a national park since 1982, they offer their visitor a preserved natural environment made of white powder sand beaches, crystal-clear warm waters, and primary growth forest. Read more

Patong beach in Phuket is popular for nightlife. With its wide variety of activities and nightlife, Patong is an ideal place to party and play. By night the town has a bustling nightlife which includes literally hundreds of restaurants, beer bars, Go Go Bars and of course night clubs. Read more

Phang Nga Bay is one of the prime destinations in southern Thailand. Similar to Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, Phang Nga Bay features tall limestone karsts rising from the sea, pierced by caves and tunnels. There are about 50 of these islands in the bay. The most popular way to visit the bay is by sea kayak, as this is the only means of transportation that can enter the tunnels and reach the hongs. A hong (which means ‘room’ in Thai) is a lagoon enclosed by the limestone cliffs, featuring mangrove trees, tropical plants, and fabulous local fauna. Read more

The Surin Islands are located a short distance from the border with Burma, some 100km northwest of Khao Lak. As with the Similans, they belong to a national park and offer great scuba diving and snorkelling spots. Several trails through the jungle permit great hiking in a virgin environment. Read More

Khao Sok National Park is located some 40km northeast of Khao Lak. Covering an area of over 700 km², it is known as the oldest evergreen rainforest in the world. Its national park status has protected it pretty well through the years, and the addition of the Cheow Lan Lake by the construction of the Ratchaprapha Dam in 1987 has even increased its attractiveness. Hiking, kayaking, and cruising on the lake are the main activities to enjoy in this unspoiled area of southern Thailand, which almost offers a journey back to time to its visitors. Read more

Lora the Taxi or her driver will meet you at the airport and bring you to the guesthouse in Khao Lak, 45 miles - just over an hour. As you leave the Arrival Hall turn left and wait near the illuminated blue bank kiosk. She will come to you.

Unterkunft

Our base guesthouse in Khao Lak has clean dormitory accommodation, plus restaurant and bar. It is run by an English man and his Thai wife. Friendly couple.
Four nights a week are on placement at a hotel in or near a small Thai town. These have double rooms. If you want a private room it will cost 6 USD extra per night. The dorm and shared bedrooms are aimed at giving you good accommodation at a budget price.
All accommodation has western style bathrooms.
The placement hotels do not have dining facilities but the nearby town has cafes and food stalls.